Holster

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a new improved extremely small holster for carrying hand guns. It consists of a resilient spring clip, mounting ring and shoulder harness to position the clip for near horizontal support of a hand gun in the armpit of the wearer. The holster is preferably of metal employing its resiliency to hold the barrel or slide of the weapon horizontally and includes a throat portion which encloses a trigger guard area as a safety factor. The metal clip carries a rubberized or plastic coating to grip the weapon without damage thereto. The suspension system of the holster is of soft leather such as suede and elastic to minimize the contour and improve concealability.

States Patent Bianehi 1 Nov. 12, 11974 1 HOLSTER [76] Inventor: .1 1 pra n, 1601 Wilt Rd.

Fallbrook, Calif. 92028 [22] Filed: July 18, 1972 [21] Appl, No.1 272,835

[52] US. Cl. 22 1/2 C, 224/5 R [51] Int. Cl. F44c 33/02 Field of Search 224/2 C, 2 B, 2 D, 2 A,

224/2 E, 2 F, 1 R, 3; 24/73 SF, 73 PH, 5 R; 294/33, 16, 99 R Primary Examiner-Robert .1. Spar Assistant E.raminer]erold M. Forsberg Attorney, Agent, or Pimp-John E. Wagner [57} ABSTRACT Disclosed is a new improved extremely small holster for carrying hand guns. It consists ot a resilient spring clip, mounting ring and shoulder harness to position the clip for near horizontal support of a hand gun in the armpit of the wearer. The holster is preferably of metal employing its resiliency to hold the barrel or slide of the weapon horizontally and includes a throat portion which encloses a trigger guard area as a safety factor. The metal clip carries a rubberized or plastic coating to grip the weapon without damage thereto. The suspension system of the holster is of soft leather such as suede and elastic to minimize the contour and improve concealability.

6 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEDHUV 12 m4 3847.315

sum 10! 2 HOLSTER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Classically in plain clothes law enforcement work, the carrying of a revolver or automatic hand gun in a concealed place on the officers body is a requirement. This has been met in the past by three general types of holsters, namely, the inside the belt holster, a rear hip holster, and the most common shoulder, or more correctly, under arm holster. The carrying of the weapon at the waistband often produces a detectable bulge around the waistline and similarly, the shoulder holster usually places the weapon at the left side of the chest of the officer and concealment depends upon looseness of fit of the officers suit jacket. In each of these cases, the weapon is stored with its barrel vertically oriented and drawing accomplished by a preliminary vertical motion. This of course requires an unnatural wrist action and return during the drawing and aiming steps. It also requires the officer to insert his hand an inordinate distance into his jacket'in order to grasp the weapon securely. In order to allow easy access to the concealed weapon, holsters of these three types are usually cut down, i.e., as small as possible, and thoroughly expose the trigger and trigger guard.

Holsters of these types are nearly always made of leather in order to exhibit a degree of flexibility and therefore minimum visibility as well as having the desirable softness with respect to the marring of the weapon. It is recognized that a smaller holster or carrier can be made if constructed from metal, however, metal holsters or carriers have not gained acceptance because they do tend to cause additional wear on the weapon, have a definite tendency to be complex mechanically, noisy in carriage or use and if worn on either the chest or waistband tend to inhance the likelihood of producing a rigid bulge. The metal holsters likewise have been noted asuncomfortable by wearers.

BRIEF STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION Given the foregoing state of the prior art, it is an object of this invention to provide a light weight minimum profile metal holster designed for concealed wearing with minimum detectability.

It is also an object of this invention to provide such a holster which stores the weapon in a horizontal position which is safer for the wearer and one which requires fewer unnatural motions in drawing.

Another object is to provide an extremely light weight holster or carrier for a weapon which covers the trigger and trigger guard so that the weapon may not be fired inadvertently while in the holster.

These objects are all accomplished in accordance with this invention in which the weapon carrier is generally a U-shaped clip with a fastening means at the top or U-portion of the clip and cooperating with the clip are two suspension straps, one of which passes around the shoulder and the second which encircles the opposite shoulder and engages the first strap to hold it on the wearer.

The clip is suspended by a shaped ring connection engaging the first strap and providing stable support in the armpit region of the body. The clip includes a generally horizontal channel portion which receives the barrel of the hand gun and suspends it in a horizontal position. The clip also includes a pair of depending extensions which embrace the finger guard of the trigger and trigger guard of the weapon allowing insufficient clearance for entrance of the finger through the region of the trigger whenever the weapon is in the holster. The clip is covered with a resilient coating which grips the weapon securely and prevents damage to the sur face.

The foregoing features of this invention may be more clearly understood from the following detailed specification and by reference to the drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the holster of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a view from the front and left of an officer wearing the holster of this invention;

FIG. 3 is a view from the rear left of the officer with his arm elevated to illustrate positioning of the holster;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the holster with weapon in place illustrating trigger protection;

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of a holster of this invention with an automatic hand gun in place;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of this invention designed for use and shown carrying a revolver;

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Now refer-to FIG. 1 in connection with FIG. 4 illustrating this invention. The underarm holster in accordance with this invention comprises as a basic element a clip 10 of resilient material such as metal formed into a generally U-shape to define a longitudinal tunnel portion 11 which terminates at a transition portion 12 communicating with a throat portion 13 having flared mouth 14. The clip has at the upper end thereof, a ring 15 which is preferably of triangular shape is secured to the clip by welding or other means. The clip 10 is preferably of spring steel coated with plastic or rubber to act as a protective and nonslip surface to avoid damage to weapons stored in the clip 10.

The tunnel portion 11 of the clip 10 is contoured to match the upper region of the weapon. In the embodiment of FIG. 1 and 4, the clip end and particularly the tunner 11 is contoured to receive and hold the slide of an automatic weapon such as a .38 caliber model PPK automatic manufactured by the Walther GmbI-I of West Germany. The transitional region 12 and throat region 13 are also contoured for the particular type of weapon. Normally such weapons have a reduced section beneath the barrel and the finger guard is typically approximately one-fourth to three-eighths inch in thickness and therefore the throat region 13 has a spacing in the order of one-fourth to three-eighths inch. The tunnel region I] in the case described above has a width of approximately seven-eighths inch and height of approximately 1 inch and the clip itself has a length measured in a horizontal direction with a position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of approximately 1% inch. The weight of the clip for the above weapon is only 4% to 5 ounces and therefore in all probability the lightest holster ever designed. It is apparent that the dimensions and weight mentioned above will vary slightly with the particular weapon to be carried but the figures above are typical dimensions.

Supporting the holster via connection with the ring 15 is the shoulder strap forming a bight or loop of suitable dimension to encircle one shoulder of the wearer. The shoulder strap 20 optionally includes a pair of fasteners 21 and 22 securing the ends thereof to form end loops 23 and 24, each of which enclose straight portions 25 and 26 of ring. 15. Having the generally triangular shape with the two ends of shoulder strap 20 providing in line support in the direction of the dashed arrows, the position of the holster is very stable. The strap 20 is contoured to fit the shoulder, thus the holster 10 can be positioned in the armpit region and the holster 10 itself totally enclosed in the armpit without discomfort for the wearer. An auxiliary strap 30 is secured to the shoulder strap 20 at spaced positions whereby the upper end of strap 30 can pass behind the neck of the wearer and in front of his other arm and the lower portion of strap 30 extends under the armpit of the opposite arm and back to the strap 20.

This auxiliary strap 30 prevents the shoulder strap from slipping off the wearers shoulder and maintains the entire harness assembly stable.

The strap 20 is preferably of soft leather material particularly suede in order to conform closely to the body of the wearer and provide maximum concealability of the holster. The strap 30 is approximately 1 inch in width and preferred to be elastic material. The shoulder strap 20 varies in width from approximately 1 inch at the ring to 3 inches at the upper most shoulder position.

Referring specifically to FIG. 4 in which the holster of this inventionis shown actually transporting an automatic handgun. The clip 10 then is supported with the longitudinal tunnel ll virtually horizontal and the slide 41 of weapon 40 extending through the tunnel 11. The transitional portion 12 of clip 10 conforms to the reduced section 42 of the lower side of the slide and the throat portion 13 of the clip 10 virtually encloses the entire trigger area of the weapon. It should be noted particularly that both front and rear sights 43 and 44, the safety 45, the cocking lever 46 and the grip 47 are all completely clear and unobstructed by the holster 10. There is no danger of wear or interference with any of these functional elements by the holster. Moreover the trigger is completely enclosed and may not be operated while the weapon is in place in the holster.

The normal use of the holster of this invention is illustrated particularly in FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a view generally from the front of an officer reaching for an automatic weapon carried in the holster. Of course, the officer would normally be wearing a suit coat and the entire holster weapon and support suspension system concealed thereby. Whenever the officer has inserted his hand in a generally horizontal direction into the left lower chest region and has grasped the grip of the weapon, his first finger is prevented from engaging the trigger by the throat portion of the holster unitl the weapon is drawn. Drawing the weapon is accomplished by a motion generally in the direction of the arrow, that is, outward and downward to snap open the clip 10 and allowing the slide portion to pass through and out of the throat portion 13 of the clip and with a movement almost directly in line with the restraining force represented by arrow B in FIG. 1. There is no tendency to pivot or jam and the weapon slides easily against the spring restraint out and in a position for the officer to direct the weapon ahead of him at approximately waist level. It is apparent from FIG. 2 that the movement in drawing the weapon from the holster of this invention is a natural down and outward swinging motion of the shooting hands as contrasted with conventional shoulder holsters which require a vertical movement of the hand and arm to remove the vertically oriented barrel from the holster and to twist the wrist to bring the barrel level followed by turning to the front position. These unnatural movements are all eliminated employing the holster of this invention.

FIG. 3 showing the same holster from the rear illustrates the relationship of the hand while grasping the weapon. It particularly illustrates clearly the relationship of the straps 20 and 30. The strap 30 can be seen as exerting spaced forces on the strap 20 to hold it fully on the left shoulder of the wearer.

FIGS. 2 and 3 also illustrate another feature of this invention. That is, that the weapon is supported in the holster with the muzzle directed directly backward through the space between the chest of the wearer and his arm and not toward any portion of his anatomy. Likewise, through contortions, running or other extreme movement the weapon always remains directed rearward. This is in contrast with the prior art shoulder holsters in which the weapon is usually directed at the wearers hip or leg or in certain cases where the weapon is carried in an inverted position is directed toward wearers head or shoulder. Although the likelihood of discharge of the weapon while in the shoulder holster is slight, the danger of any significant injury to the wearer of this improved holster is minimal or nonexistant.

The relationship of the holster to the weapon of FIG. 4 is further illustrated in FIG. 5 which is a front view of a weapon in a holster. Such a view would be seen actually from the rear of the wearer. The holster 10 appears with its center mounted support ring 15 enclosing the slide 41 of weapon 40. The trigger guard 48 of the weapon 40 may be seen enclosed within a throat portion 13 of the clip 10. The transitional portion 12 of the clip 10 presents a smooth surface for slifing in removal of the weapon and it also generally conforms to the smaller underside of the slide 41. The grip 47 of course is larger and extends laterally beyond the clip 10 and is freely available for grasping. The end flare 14 of the holster is clearly apparent in FIG. 5 and is useful in expanding the clip as the weapon is inserted into the holster.

In all the discussion above, the weapon used has been an automatic with the slide portion in no cylinder. This invention, however, is not limited to automatic weapons as is clearly illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7. In this case, the holster 50 is contoured to receive a revolver 51 with the tunnel portion 52 enclosing the cylinder region 53 of the weapon 51. The tunnel portion is now generally round with a rectangular upper section 54 riding over the top of the frame 55 of the weapon 51.

The throat portion 56 of theholster 50 again encloses the trigger and trigger guard of the weapon 51 similar to the arrangement of FIGS. 1 and 4. In this embodiment, the weapon is securely grasped by the cylinder preventing its rotation and thereby acting as a further safety feature. The preferred triangular form of ring described above in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2 is now clearly illustrated in FIG. 6 as ring 60 and it is secured to the supporting straps in the same manner as is described above in connection with FIGS. 1-4. In the case of use with a revolver, it must be recognized that a much larger diameter weapon is involved and the wall thickness of the spring 50 is slightly less than that of the clip of FIGS. l-5 to allow the insertion and removal of the weapon without undue force being applied. This is clearly apparent in FIG. 7 which is a front view corresponding to FIG. 5 for use of automatic weapons. FIG. 7 also illustrates clearly the contouring of the holster to the weapon and the closing of the finger guard.

From the above description it is apparent that the physical dimensions and the exact contour of the holster of this invention will be changed to match each weapon and then such changes are to be expected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the patent monopoly granted hereun' der is limited to the specific embodiments shown but rather to the invention as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A holster for the carrying of hand guns comprising an elongated generally U-shaped resilient body including a longitudinally extending tunnel like opening conformingly contoured to receive and hold the barrel or slide of a hand gun;

said body further including an integral throat portion conformingly contoured to substantially enclose the trigger guard portion leaving the handle and barrel of the hand gun exposed when in position in the holster;

suspension means secured to said body for engaging a shoulder of the wearer and positioning said body in generally inverted U-position in the armpit region of the wearer with the barrel or slide of a hand gun contained therein in a generally horizontal position;

wherein said suspension means includes ring means secured to said body suspending said body from two directions at substantially a 90 angle whereby said holster may be stably positioned in the armpit region;

wherein said ring means comprises a generally triangular shaped ring with one side secured to said body and the two remaining sides constituting support points for said body;

wherein the said one side of said triangular shaped ring is secured to said body in generally parallel alignment with the tunnel like opening in said body whereby the orientation of said opening and the barrel or slide of a hand gun therein is determined by said ring.

2. The combination in accordance with claim 1 wherein said body is comprised of formed sheet like material exhibiting sufficient flexibility to allow the insertion or withdrawal of the barrel or slide of the hand gun into said longitudinal tunnel like opening and sufficient strength to support the weight of the hand gun and to prevent its unintentional withdrawal.

3. The combination in accordance with claim 1 wherein said body is of spring metal.

4. A holster for carrying of hand guns comprising an elongated generally U-shaped resilient body including a longitudinally extending tunnel like opening conformingly contoured, to receive the frame portion of a revolver and enclose the cylinder portion of said revolver,

said body further including an integral throat portion conformingly contoured to substantially enclose the trigger guard portion leaving the handle and barrel of the hand gun exposed when in position in the holster;

suspension means secured to said body for engaging a shoulder of the wearer and positioning said body in generally inverted U-position in the armpit re gion of the wearer with the frame and cylinder of the hand gun contained therein in a generally horizontal position;

wherein said suspension means includes ring means secured to said body, suspending said body from two directions at substantially a angle whereby said holster may be stably positioned in the armpit region;

wherein said ring means comprises a generally triangular shaped ring with one side secured to said body and the two remaining sides constituting support points for said body;

wherein said one side of said triangular shaped ring is secured to said body in generally parallel alignment with the tunnel like opening in said body whereby the orientation of said opening and the barrel and cylinder of a hand gun therein is determined by said ring.

5. The combination in accordance with claim 4 wherein said generally U-shaped body is comprised of formed sheet like material exhibiting sufficient flexibility to allow the insertion or withdrawal of the frame and cylinder of the hand gun into said longitudinal tunnel like opening and sufficient strength to support the weight of the hand gun and to prevent its unintentional withdrawal.

6. The combination in accordance with claim 4 wherein said body is of spring metal. 

1. A holster for the carrying of hand guns comprising an elongated generally U-shAped resilient body including a longitudinally extending tunnel like opening conformingly contoured to receive and hold the barrel or slide of a hand gun; said body further including an integral throat portion conformingly contoured to substantially enclose the trigger guard portion leaving the handle and barrel of the hand gun exposed when in position in the holster; suspension means secured to said body for engaging a shoulder of the wearer and positioning said body in generally inverted Uposition in the armpit region of the wearer with the barrel or slide of a hand gun contained therein in a generally horizontal position; wherein said suspension means includes ring means secured to said body suspending said body from two directions at substantially a 90* angle whereby said holster may be stably positioned in the armpit region; wherein said ring means comprises a generally triangular shaped ring with one side secured to said body and the two remaining sides constituting support points for said body; wherein the said one side of said triangular shaped ring is secured to said body in generally parallel alignment with the tunnel like opening in said body whereby the orientation of said opening and the barrel or slide of a hand gun therein is determined by said ring.
 2. The combination in accordance with claim 1 wherein said body is comprised of formed sheet like material exhibiting sufficient flexibility to allow the insertion or withdrawal of the barrel or slide of the hand gun into said longitudinal tunnel like opening and sufficient strength to support the weight of the hand gun and to prevent its unintentional withdrawal.
 3. The combination in accordance with claim 1 wherein said body is of spring metal.
 4. A holster for carrying of hand guns comprising an elongated generally U-shaped resilient body including a longitudinally extending tunnel like opening conformingly contoured, to receive the frame portion of a revolver and enclose the cylinder portion of said revolver, said body further including an integral throat portion conformingly contoured to substantially enclose the trigger guard portion leaving the handle and barrel of the hand gun exposed when in position in the holster; suspension means secured to said body for engaging a shoulder of the wearer and positioning said body in generally inverted U-position in the armpit region of the wearer with the frame and cylinder of the hand gun contained therein in a generally horizontal position; wherein said suspension means includes ring means secured to said body, suspending said body from two directions at substantially a 90* angle whereby said holster may be stably positioned in the armpit region; wherein said ring means comprises a generally triangular shaped ring with one side secured to said body and the two remaining sides constituting support points for said body; wherein said one side of said triangular shaped ring is secured to said body in generally parallel alignment with the tunnel like opening in said body whereby the orientation of said opening and the barrel and cylinder of a hand gun therein is determined by said ring.
 5. The combination in accordance with claim 4 wherein said generally U-shaped body is comprised of formed sheet like material exhibiting sufficient flexibility to allow the insertion or withdrawal of the frame and cylinder of the hand gun into said longitudinal tunnel like opening and sufficient strength to support the weight of the hand gun and to prevent its unintentional withdrawal.
 6. The combination in accordance with claim 4 wherein said body is of spring metal. 